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Third Crusade
The Third Crusade was a short and brutal campaign that ended it complete failure for the forces of Civilisation. Causes of the Third Crusade The Third Crusade had several causes in common with the First and Second Crusades. Similarly to them much of its support was based on a few factors: #Religious zealotry in favour of the pantheonic gods. The Humans of Rumnir and Erumdor were beset with religious fervour. Knowing the openly blasphemous existance of the corrupted mancers and their rogue deity, the crusade was made inevitable after Herak Orcan's failed attempt to cause a second schism. #Fear of the darkness and evil on the otherside of the mountains was another driving force. The percieved threat of monstrous incursions and reports of attacks on outposts on the frontiers lead to a building of pressure from the general public towards a new crusade. The rich of Cirandor put pressure on the arisocracy of Rumnir and Erumdor to launch a second crusade, citing Orcan's attack as evidence of the rising power of the blasphemers. The reason unique to this crusade in particularly is of course the "Battle of 100 Steps", orchestrated by the Raven King Herak Orcan. Seen as the last straw by many, this finally forced the hands of those with the reigns of military power. Preperations and Politics With the Crusade finally agreed upon by the Ecclesiarchical Council and ratified by the Barons' Court, preperations were swung into motion. The Order of the Holy Sepelchre provided an economic and military fulcrum for the crusade, calling it's Knightly orders to bare arms and the then head of their Military Wing, the Knights of Solern, Bastian Hald taking supreme command of the allied forces. Whilst perhaps not matching the size of the previous crusades, the goal set out by the Order was much more achievable. 30% of the military forces of each duke, as set out by the Defence of the Realm Decree, would gather at Northgard castle, there they would await the Rumnirian reinforcements to arrive on boats that would land on the beaches a few miles from the castle. After the Erumdorian army marched out to meet the Rumnirians, they would gather under the leadership of Hald and make their way through the wretched Wastes of Naslath to the abandoned city of Infassidir where the great Lych Haemomancer Ielric sat on his throne. The goal would be the complete extermination of the Rogue Mancer and the regaining of any artefacts lost in the second crusade. The Crusade Itself The crusade itself can be broken into 2 distinct parts. The first is the catastrophic crossing and the second the equally catastrophic landing. The Crossing A key part of the crusade was the forces crossing over from Rumnir. Important amongst these were the several Knightly Orders but also the large bulk of troops sent from cities such as Oslava to provide the bulwark of the crusade. The forces had safely gathered at the great port of Oslava and had made the half way point when they were suddenly beset by fiends. Sea Dragons and Sea Serpents suddenly set upon the fleet, the week long journey turned into a blood bath. The monsters assaulted the vessels which clumped together for safety, smashing holes into the hulls of ships, sinking and killing thousands of men. Of the 600 Vessels that set out, only 100 made it to their final destination. Of the 15,000 men who set out on the journey 4,000 made it to Erumdor, 6,000 survived but failed to make it and 5,000 were lost at sea. Many captains simply gave up, turning their ships away in fear and setting home. The creatures were relentless and brutal. The Landing After the disastrous crossing itself itself, the morale of the allied forces crumbled into nothingness. When the ships finally landed, instead of being met by the reinforcing armies of Erumdor they were met with the blades and gnarled teeth of Ielric's army.